The curve of Fulton Avenue near Cedar Hall School has deteriorated “significantly quicker than anticipated” in the last year or two, according to City Engineer Mike Labitzke.
This section will see repairs this week, along with Barker Avenue, Campground Road and Allen’s Lane. Others will come later.
This is part of a large-scale ongoing project to revamp heavily traveled roads in desperate need of repair.
Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry said infrastructure and road conditions have come up repeatedly at her Traveling City Hall Meetings. She said city crews are repairing 150 potholes per day, but this new project is bigger than that.
“We are not just repairing roads, we are making them safer, stronger and built to last,” she said at a Monday afternoon news conference. “We are installing new ADA-compliant sidewalk curb ramps to improve accessibility for all residents. We're using innovative resurfacing techniques that extend pavement life and maximize our investment.”
The projects are paid by federal, state and local funds. The larger project is funded by a Community Crossing grant from the Indiana Department of Transportation and the city budget.
The city will pay either 10 or 20-percent of the cost, depending on the specific road project.
An additional $2.25 million will make the streets safer, according to the city. They’ll improve traffic signal visibility by adding backplates for harsh sunny conditions and re-striping all roads over 35 miles per hour.
Labitzke said projects were chosen based on road condition, traffic volume and posted speed limits.
“That's obviously where the most the most risk is to it for travelers and their safety,” he said. “So that's where we focus, and when we try to bundle the worst portions of those types of roads into segments for the best economical effect.”
Some of these improvements, such as deep-milling and resurfacing a section of North Green River Road haven’t been done as far as Labitzki can remember.
They mill and overlay the more important streets about every 15 to 18 years. With a more thorough resurfacing method, they hope to push that out to every 25 years.
There’s no specific timeline for the overall project, but works will begin at several locations soon.
However according to the city, even in paving all of those roads, the Road Pavement Index indicates that the deterioration in other roads in the city means that Evansville will enter 2026 with city roads in collectively worse condition.
“Based on our best estimates, it would cost about $12 million a year to break even on road conditions,” Labitzke said. “Meaning that, if we spent $12 million on the road, we could re-pave and repair enough roads to improve the overall condition enough to match the deterioration of the other roads.
“To truly make a difference in improving our overall road quality would require an investment of close to $20 million, for several years running. And we simply don’t have access to those funds now.”
The city news release with project details is below:
The City of Evansville will spend approximately $7.8 million to pave and improve city roadways in 2025, and another $2.25 million to make them safer.
The paving funds are a mix of city budget dollars and Community Crossing grants from the State of Indiana, while the safety projects will be funded by a Highway Safety Improvement Program grant from the Indiana Department of Transportation. All of this will allow the City Engineer’s office to move forward on re-striping city roadways, improving visibility on city traffic signals and undertake several paving projects throughout the city.
“We are aware that there are many roads in Evansville in need of significant repair,” Mayor Terry said. “We drive those roads, and we hear about those roads regularly from drivers who are rightly concerned about road conditions.
“Unfortunately, this is an issue that has been building for years, and even in increasing our own budget allocation– and continuing to receive Community Crossing grant funds from the state – we simply do not have the funds to fully address it today. But we will continue doing everything we can to improve road conditions and to ensure that Evansville’s roads are safe to drive.”
Every 3-5 years, the Metropolitan Planning Organization creates a Road Pavement Index, which scores every road in Evansville based on its condition. The City Engineer’s office then uses this data in determining which roads to pave each year – a decision made based on:
- The condition of the road
- The amount of traffic using the road, and
- The speed limit on the road
In 2025, those factors will lead to the following roads being paved:
Court Street from Riverside Drive to Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.
W. Mill Road from West City limits to First Avenue
Lincoln Avenue from Rotherwood Avenue to Spring Street
N. Boeke Road from Virginia Street to Morgan Avenue
N. Garvin Street from Division Street to Missouri Street
N. Green River Road from Morgan Avenue to Davis Lant Drive
N. Kentucky from Joan to Cardinal
N. Kentucky from Christ Road to St. George Road
St George Road from New York Avenue to Harlan Avenue
Washington Avenue from 8th Street to Southeast Blvd
Stringtown Road from Keck Avenue to Morgan Avenue
Oak Grove Road from Crosspointe Blvd to Enterpise
Fulton Avenue from Buena Vista to Mill Road
Fulton Avenue from Cody Street to Pigeon Creek Bridge
Campground Road from the cemetery to Old State Road
Hitch Peters Road from Lynch Road to ST. George Road
Allens Lane from west city limits to Kratzville Road
N. Barker from Franklin Street to Mt. Vernon Avenue
The roadways currently scheduled for concrete replacement include:
Main Street from 4th Street to 5th Street
However, City Engineer Mike Labitzke noted that, even in paving all of those roads, the Road Pavement Index indicates that the deterioration in other roads in the city means that Evansville will enter 2026 with city roads in collectively worse condition.
“Based on our best estimates, it would cost about $12 million a year to break even on road conditions,” Labitzke said. “Meaning that, if we spent $12 million on the road, we could re-pave and repair enough roads to improve the overall condition enough to match the deterioration of the other roads.
“To truly make a difference in improving our overall road quality would require an investment of close to $20 million, for several years running. And we simply don’t have access to those funds now.”
In recent years, the City Engineer’s office has begun using other methods to increase the life of Evansville roads. Crack sealing holds the pavement together, often buying 3-5 years before the roads need fully repaved. And in 2024, the office used an Asphalt Rejuvenation product to help with the flexibility of recently-paved roads, which is expected to add another 5-8 years to the life of that pavement.
“As we continue to look for additional ways to fund our needed road repairs, we are continuing to use every tool at our disposal to maintain and improve the conditions of our roads,” Mayor Terry said.
The 2025 paving season begins today with milling on Barker and Fulton avenues, Campground Road, and Allen’s Lane.
Meanwhile, plans are being designed for the safety updates designated as part of the Highway Safety Improvement Program grant. Those projects include:
- Re-striping all city streets with a posted speed limit of 35mph or higher
- Road striping improvements in the Franklin Street corridor, from Fulton Avenue to First Street
- Road improvements in the John Street corridor – specifically at Heidelbach Avenue, Governor Street, and Garvin Street
- Installation of radar reporting speed limit signs on Diamond Avenue, Covert Street, and Lynch Road
- Traffic signal backplates city-wide, increasing visibility of traffic lights
“As a city, we are always looking for ways to make our residents and our community safer,” Mayor Terry said. “This generous grant from INDOT gives us the opportunity to do that by making sure that the marks on our streets are visible, that our traffic lights stand out, and that drivers are traveling at appropriate speeds on those roads that see some of the heaviest traffic.
“We’re grateful for this opportunity, and look forward to getting to work at making our city streets safer.”
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